July 17, 2012

HOUSTON, Texas - East Carolina sophomore inside linebacker Jeremy Grove has been named to the preliminary watch list for the 2012 Rotary Lombardi Award, according to an announcement by the Rotary Club of Houston Monday evening. The award, which is given to the nation's top college lineman or linebacker each year, has been presented annually for the past 42 years.

Grove earned Freshman All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), CBSSports.com, FOXSportsNext.com and Yahoo! Sports in 2011. In addition, the Frederick, Md., product was selected to All-Freshman Teams by the Bleacher Report and Phil Steele Magazine. He was also the Conference USA Freshman-of-the-Year and an honorable mention all-league selection.

During his first collegiate campaign, Grove set a Pirate rookie record with a team-leading 122 tackles - the third-highest total by an ECU player in the last 14 years. Since the start of the 1998 campaign, only Pernell Griffin (153/2001) and Chris Moore (148/2003) booked more hits. Grove stood third in Conference USA and 10th among all FBS players with 11.1 tackles per game.

Grove started his debut season by tallying 66 hits through the first five contests, good for an average of 13.2 tackles per matchup. During Conference USA games, he booked a team-best 75 stops - 24 more than any other Pirate.

Eligibility for the Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to: 1) offensive or defensive end-to-end down linemen who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball and 2) linebackers who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage. All candidates must be eligible to play college sports under the rules and regulations of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

The Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List is a reference tool for the Selection Committee. It will be periodically revised until the first round of voting is completed. The first round of voting determines the Top 25 Quarterfinalists for 2012. The second round of voting will determine the final seven semifinalists or "Seven Blocks of Granite." The third round of voting will determine the "four- finalists from the "Seven Blocks of Granite." The fourth and final round of voting will determine the winner of The 43rd Rotary Lombardi Award which will be announced on national television live in prime-time" 8-9 PM (CST) Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at The Hobby Center in Houston, Texas (network to be determined).